Falmouth Aquatics and the Town of Falmouth will hold a special event Saturday, Sept. 8, to celebrate the accomplishments of Erik Vendt, a Falmouth native who won two Olympic silver medals and one gold between 2000 and 2008. The festivities will begin with a half-mile fun swim for children under 18, starting at the Ellen T. Mitchell Bath House at Surf Drive Beach at 8 a.m. Afterward, participants will lead a parade up Walker Street to Peg Noonan Park, where a ceremony honoring Vendt's achievements will take place.
Troy B.G. Clarkson, Falmouth resident and Hanover Town Manager, was involved in the event almost from its inception. He says the idea came from Vendt's father, who contacted Mary Pat Flynn, longtime member of the Falmouth Board of Selectmen, and cited a celebration the town held for another local Olympian, Colleen Coyne, who won a gold medal with the women's ice hockey team in 1998. Flynn agreed that a celebration of Vendt's three medals was overdue.
“Pat, being the good manager that she is, delegated, and called me,” says Clarkson. With the help of many other volunteers, notably Jim Bowen and Helen Kennedy, Clarkson set about organizing the event.
“It's one of those great, grassroots, feelgood events,” Clarkson says. “It's just one of those things that makes Falmouth a great community.”
The event has also attracted what Clarkson describes as “a groundswell of support” from local business owners, including donations of oranges for swimmers reaching the finish line, and money to help offset the cost of the medals to be handed out.
Aside from celebrating Vendt's Olympic accomplishments, Clarkson hopes the event will reach participants, and “highlight the healthy choices that are available to them, and that swimming's such a great activity.”
Clarkson says the swim should not be viewed as a standalone event, but “the latest in a series highlighting our local Olympians.” He says an event celebrating 2012 multiple medal winner Aly Raisman, who has immediate family in Falmouth, is a strong possibility for the near future.
Those who wish to participate should register for free online, at www.falmouthaquatics.org, or in person, at the Ellen T. Mitchell Bath House, by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5. For more information, call (508) 444-2335, or email events@falmouthaquatics.org. Participants can then pick up their free swim caps, signed by Vendt, on Friday, Sept. 7, between 6 and 7:30 p.m.